Nonsense, organizers said, and stood their ground. “I’ve seen much worse before,” Sarsour told a press conference prior to Friday evening’s event. “I’ve been targeted by the son of the President of the United States. I can take a little mayor from Winnipeg.” Click on play button below.

Chantell Barker and Linda Sarsour. Click on play button.

Event organizers were less sanguine. An ominous “Israel Hate Alert” from a local group called “Warriors of Israel,” had called on local Israel supporters to fight for their rights.

It proved to be bluster. Across the street from the Ukrainian Labour Temple, where an excited crowd filed into the union hall, a dozen pro-Israel activists huddled beneath an Israeli flag flapping in the chilly evening wind, under the watchful eyes of a half dozen Winnipeg police and a contingent from Winnipeg’s First Nations Bear Clan Patrol.

The Ukrainian Labour Temple — beautifully restored in time for the hundredth anniversary of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike — was literally packed to the rafters. On stage, three powerful, articulate woman shared their dreams, visions and action strategies. Chantell Barker is a First Nations woman from Sapotoweyak Cree Nation, and the current Director of Justice for the Southern Chiefs Organization. Nora Loreto is a Quebec City-based writer, activist and podcaster.

The star of the evening, Linda Sarsour, is a Palestinian-American social justice activist, community organizer and lightning rod for radical justice advocates across North America.